LOOKING AFTER YOUR SUNGLASSES

Quality sunglasses will keep looking fantastic and working effectively for years if well cared for. Here are some tips on how to best look after your new shades.

Cleaning - The best way to clean your sunglasses and lenses is with the lens cleaning cloth provided with your frames and a liquid cleaner specifically designed for eyewear lenses. Disposable pre-moistened lens towelettes also work perfectly well and can be picked up at good opticians, optical retailers and bigger super-markets inexpensively.

Always be sure to keep your sunglasses in the hard-case provided to prevent damage!

As easy as it is to do, NEVER leave your sunglasses resting on top of your head! This is the widest part of your head and will cause the arms to stretch outwards, leaving your frames loose, misshapen and crooked.

Common-sense applies here, but don't leave your sunglasses lying directly on the beach, on rocky terrain or anywhere with lots of sand or grit. This is a sure-fire way to get scratches onto the frames or lens. Jacket pockets can likewise often contain grit, dust & keys that you want to avoid coming in contact with your sunglass lenses. See 2. and carry your case!

Wash your frames with fresh water if they come in contact with chlorinated pool water or the sea. Salt and chemicals can remove lens coating if left to soak in over time and this can be particularly evident with mirrored lenses. When enjoying your frames on holiday it's good practice to do this at the end of the each day as a precaution.

Never clean your sunglasses with paper towels, handkerchiefs or random parts of your clothing. This will potentially grind dust, particles and various fibres into your lenses and leave permanent scratches.

Never use household detergents or products like window and glass chemical cleaners to remove grease from your lenses or frames. The latter are especially corrosive and can permanently damage your lenses by stripping away their essential coating.

When using your cleaning cloth, start by wiping the tips of arms and working towards the eyes and nose pieces. The nose-bridge and nose-pads should be the last area you wipe. This is because your face is in direct contact with the frames here and so much of the natural oils or make-up will build up in these key areas and you want to avoid spreading these further across your frames or lenses.

ABOUT CELLULOSE-ACETATE

We ensure that all acetate frames picked to be in SOLBOU’s collection are made from high-grade cellulose-acetate; a traditional material that is lightweight, durable and long-lasting. The inherent strength and flexibility of cellulose-acetate make it the ideal material for producing high-quality eyewear frames as it is not only resistant to impact, but will also adapt and mould to the wearer’s face over time. Added benefits are that it is naturally hypoallergenic and resistant to bacteria, therefore less likely to irritate skin - even when worn in the most hot & humid environments.

ADJUSTING YOUR FRAMES.

Due to it’s unique molecular structure, cellulose-acetate reacts to high and low temperatures almost like a living organism and can move when subjected to hot / cold shifts or just generally over time.

If you’ve been soaking up a lot of sun or have visited a cold location, you may notice that your sunglasses are no longer sitting perfectly straight on your face. If this happens, follow the below steps to get them back in shape... You will find most adjustments can be made by simply tweaking the bridge of the frame. The below technique works for metal-bridge frames too.

1. Determine which arm needs to be lowered or raised by resting your frames upside down on a flat surface or by checking in a mirror how they are sitting crooked on your face. Depending on which arm is raised from the table or sitting high on your face, you should clearly be able to see which way you need to make your adjustment.

2. Once you've worked out which way you need to adjust your frames, warm up the nose-bridge for about 60 seconds with a hair dryer.

3. Once the acetate or metal is warm and more malleable, gently twist the frames at the bridge until both arms sit flat on the level surface or straight on your face. Be sure not to over do it initially - a little goes a long way! Twist a little at a time until your frames are once again sitting perfectly for you.

We make sure that each pair of sunglasses we send out are positioned to sit flat on a table i.e. in the 4-point position. This will offer a straight fit on the majority of wearers. However, everyone's ear and nose positioning is different and no-one's face is perfectly symmetrical, so you may need to make adjustments or tweaks as above.

SOLBOU is an online boutique that focusses on showcasing the finest sunglasses from independent designers and labels.

Founded in 2015 after growing frustrated with the impersonal, stale & mass-produced world of sunglasses shopping, our founder; Tom decided to take matters into his own hands. Originally storing stock under his bed in Brixton, London he began selling to friends who too were finding it hard to find the perfect pair of sunglasses. Since then, we've continued to grow stockroom by stockroom, providing our customers around-the-world with the highest-quality shades from designers & craftsmen we now call friends. Looking to the future, our plans for our first bricks-and-mortar store are starting to take shape - watch this space.